Carole and Michael Middleton celebrated another special milestone on Prince William's birthday

Prince William celebrated his 41st birthday this week, but his mother and father-in-law, Carole and Michael Middleton, have had another milestone to celebrate.

• Carole and Michael Middleton have had a busy week when it comes to celebrating.
• While their son-in-law Prince William celebrated his birthday, they had another cause for celebration.
• In other royal news, this is the color that Kate and William prefer to match in.

Prince William turned 41 earlier this week, on June 21, but while the family will likely have been celebrating the Prince of Wales' birthday, his mother and father-in-law, Carole and Michael Middleton, had another occasion to celebrate.

The parents of Kate Middleton celebrated 43 years of marriage on the same day as Prince William's birthday - which also falls two days before Michael's birthday.

The Middletons got married back in 1980 after first meeting at British Airways, where Carole worked as a flight attendant and Michael was a flight dispatcher. They have kept details of their Buckinghamshire wedding very private, never releasing photos of their special day – however, fans did get a glimpse of Carole Middleton's wedding dress when she lent it to her daughter-in-law, Alizee Thevenet, in September 2021.

Speaking to Hello! magazine, Alizée gushed over the memory of finding the perfect dress. She had been staying at the Middletons' family home in Berkshire when she was introduced to her future mother-in-law's bridal gown, an heirloom that's been sitting in storage for 41 years. 

"While talking about dresses with Carole and sharing ideas during lockdown for inspiration, I tried on her wedding dress and fell in love with it," Alizee explained. "It fitted me perfectly and was exactly what I wanted. It always troubled me that wedding dresses are only worn once so it was amazing to give such a beautiful dress a second lease of life."

While Carole and Michael like to keep details of their relationship private, Carole has been open in the past about how their business, Party Pieces, strengthens their relationship.

Carole and Michael set up Party Pieces in 1988, which they have now sold to a British entrepreneur. And on the subject of business, Carole said, "Make sure whatever you do doesn’t compromise your family, because that becomes untenable. And don’t be afraid to ask questions. I couldn’t do it without Mike."

She added how their shared love of business actually bonded them, and they later involved their children. Carole explained, "Mike and I often talked about work in the evenings or on holiday, but we enjoyed it. I never really felt I was a working mother although I was – and the children didn’t either. They grew up with it."

She added, "I do love a good party," which is a good job, as the Middleton family had lots of reasons to party and celebrate this week!